How To Make A Harry Potter Costume

When my youngest son was six years old, he was a huge Harry Potter fan. He had read and re-read the existing Harry Potter books and, when we moved across the country, he spent almost every minute listening to one of the Harry Potter audiobooks. His love of Harry Potter was very strong and naturally, he wanted to be Harry Potter for Halloween.

If you have someone who loves Harry Potter or you love him yourself and you are looking to make a Harry Potter costume, you will find a few ideas on this page. You will find the simple items we used to make my son's costume. Of course, you are free to take away bits and pieces of our ideas and, if you are pressed for time or unsure of how to proceed, there is always the option of BUYING a Harry Potter costume. On this page, you'll find sources for the most essential pieces and a couple of links to some Harry Potter costume or dress up sets available online.

Click here to see Amazon's complete collection of Harry Potter costumes.

Our Harry Potter costume was really pretty easy to make. It might not be the most sophisticated Harry Potter costume available but it was more than enough to please a group of young boys.

We started with a simple rugby shirt. This long-sleeved red and gray shirt was perfect. It felt Harry Potter-ish PLUS, because we purchased it generously sized, my son would be able to wear it for a couple of years and we could add an extra warm layer, which is required in our climate, underneath it.

Blue jeans are a staple in our family and we decided to go with comfortable and known pants. This also saved the cost of buying a pant that was specifically 'Harry Potter' and I do not think it detracted overly. Most importantly, my son was happy. Dark blue jeans or navy or black chino pants would have been a good choice, too.

A Child's size cape

A simple black cape can be made or purchased inexpensively. To be honest, I cannot remember if ours was purchased or home made although I have been know to create a simple cape for our costumes.

This velvet cape features a Velcro closure which is easy to open and close and which will release should the cape become caught on something. It is made of a durable quality fabric which is made to last and is machine washable. It can be worn with the hood up or down and is perfect for Harry Potter costumes as well as other costumes for which a cape is required, like Star Wars.

I am sure my son shopped for hours to find the perfect wand...in the local wooded area. This is a very easy way to have your wand pick you. However, you can also purchase a wand, either an inexpensive one that you will not have to worry about getting lost or broken or a slightly more expensive collectible one.

My son is a bright blonde, which simply would NOT do for Harry Potter. We used some spray in black hairspray which did not apply perfectly but was certainly effective (see the first photo) and we used some gel to make it stand up and seem a bit disheveled, a la Harry Potter!

The last and final touch was Harry Potter's lightening bolt scar which we simply applied with some halloween makeup. I have also seen children's removeable tattoos that would work for this purpose. Amazon has an interesting Harry Potter Scar & Makeup Kit available.

Of course, you have a few options if you want to buy a Harry Potter Quidditch costume like the one shown here that features Harry Potter dressed for Quidditch.

To see all of Amazon`s Harry Potter costume ideas, just click here. Not only will you find costumes but you will also find accessories meant for costume and everyday wear.